2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 2

Since I started my winter training, there are two important things also that I'm trying to pay attention for. They are essential I know but for some reason they have been pushed to the background for long time...

Although I fully understand how important it is to stay well hydrated, I never had enough to drink throughout the day. So, I decided to force myself into the habbit and drink a lot of water!

I got myself a nice 500 ml Bobble bottle ( http://www.waterbobble.com/ )  and have it refilled and emptied out 4 times a day. My water intake has been increased from about 0,5 L/day to about 2,5 L/day (including other drinks such as tea). I feel more energetic and more fresh. And the best thing is that I got used to drinking water just after a few days! 

The other thing is the foam roller. Yes, I am part of the foam roller revolution indeed! I have been reading about them and talked to lot of my friends about their opinion about this simple self-massage "device". Long story short: I got one from my lovely wifey. Happy days! :)

So, there I am. Rolling away and suffering...suffering a lot. I have to say that it is a rough enough thing now! But once the session is done & dusted it really gives a nice and good feeling to the tyred legs. Doing it every day and I am getting used to it slowly. It seems like it does help in recovery, although it would be very hard to tell only after a week. 

So, besides training I'm also trying to change a few things to feel better. It took only a decision that I should have made ages ago. I don't quiet know what I have been waiting for...these things are awsome!! :)

Sun rise on the beach // A nice photo says it all!

2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 1

It has started. I have started my preparation for the 2014 XC Marathon European Champs  recently and I thought it would be a great idea to post some updates every now and again about different stages of the upcoming 7 month's work. So, here is the first update!

One of the most important part at this point is to get  tons of low intensity winter milage in during the upcoming few months. So, I put down the mountain bike for a while (only fun-filled spins here and there) and will be doing long road spins on my faithful Giant TCX.

This will be a familiar sight for a good while I'd say

The other part of my winter preparation is running. Now, this is a bit more tricky 'cause I have high risk to pick up an injury, like it happened last winter. The plan is to take it easy and steady, don't push too much too soon. If I can stick to the plan everything will be grand! :)

It's running time again, the secret is: take it easy!!

Besides all this I will start doing core excersises at home and I am hoping to go to the swimming pool once a week also. Few details still to be sorted, but I'm getting there. 

This is what's happening these days. The weather is getting cold, the days are short and there's plenty of work to do. Roll on winter, keep me busy!!

VeloViewer is the new thing!

I just came accross with this absolutely brilliant site called VeloViewer (www.veloviewer.com) and I'm very impressed I have to say! Here's the confession: I love my Strava, my segments, my PRs, my KOMs, all the virtual leaderboards and all that jazz! Yes, I'm one of those! :) 

So, if you are on Strava and you'd like to get a bit (actually a lot) more out of all that bucket load of data that you get after a decent bike ride, then all you need to do is let VeloViewer to access your Strava information and there you are. 

Just one of the many excellent features from the site!

VeloViewer gives a huge amount of additional information such as 3D graph of segments, VeloViewer Score, etc... on a very clear graphic interface. Easy to use and if you are into detailed data of your spins, then this is the website for you!

Go and ride your bike! Upload the spin! Compare & improve! Simple, what not to like?! :)

2014 Giant Anthem 27.5 2 // The first 500 km

Since I started to use this brilliant 2014 Giant Anthem 650b machine I have posted a quick first impressions post here. I'm over the first 500 km on the bike at this point (general commute excluded), so it is time to check the bike out in details once again! I won't get into the benefits of the 650b wheelsize in this post, I would rather focus on the techical features of the bike after 500 km of proper riding.

After the bike has been put through a lot in relation of trails and weather conditons, the first and most important thing to mention is that everything works perfectly on this machine! The Sram gears, the Avid brakes and the Rock Shox suspensions are doing what they ment to do: work perfectly! The wheels are also very well built, they are still running true. The bushings & bearings in the frame are well sealed, so there's no issue either ( I mean after only 500 km there shouldn't be any issues but I figured it's worth to mention anyway). The bike feels awsome and very solid for sure!

One feature that really surprised me in a good way is the internal cable routing, the rubber guide plugs in the frame to be precise. It was an awsome idea, kudos to Giant! There's no rattling noise at all, everything is nice & quiet. Lovin' it! :)

Rubber cable guide plugs, brilliant invention! :)

The only little issue that I could come accross with is the dropout design...I'm not 100% sure how durable it is. The problem is that the dropout is being held be one single (mega skinny) screw. Yeah sure, when the rear wheel is in the frame the QR axle gives the whole thing a massive support but when the wheel needs to be taken out there's a different situation altogether...

The dropout design...could have been a bit better? I'd say so.

If the screw is loose the dropout is getting out of it's place. It is an issue during transport and it is an issue out on the trail also. I mean havin' a rear puncture during a cold and wet spin is enough on it's own, the last thing I need is to mess around with the dropout before I put the wheel back in. It would have been better if they use either increased size, more durable screw or perhaps use two screws instead of one, so it won't be able to rotate. Now, it isn' the end of the world indeed, we could live with it, right?

So, the new 650b Giant Anthem is a very reliable and a truly amazing bike I have to say. I love riding this thing, enjoying every minute of my MTB spins indeed! In fact I can't wait for the next one already!! :) 

Wow, what a place to ride the bike!!